'Monsanto Protection Act' adopted in the US

Imagine a democratic government adopting a legislation that would instruct its own Agriculture Department "to ignore any judicial rulings that block the planting of crops that the court determines to be illegal"(according to Senator Jon Tester from Montana).

In essence, this is what the US Congress has done by adopting a small clause (Section 735) inside the 2013 agriculture budget.

The signing by President Obama of this legislation will effectively bar US federal courts from being able to halt the sale or planting of genetically engineered (GE) crops even if they failed to be approved by the government's own weak approval process and no matter what the health or environmental consequences might be.

Groups have rightly called this legislation the 'Monsanto Protection Act' as it enables Monsanto and other companies to continue to sell GE seeds even when declared illegal by the courts.

The Center for Food Safety (an independent US NGO) has qualified this as being akin to 'corporate welfare' for Monsanto and other biotech companies.

In theory and in a democratic system, the justice system should serve as a watchdog to force everyone – including government agencies – to follow the laws adopted by the legislators. Apparently, not any longer!

The adoption of the 'Monsanto Protection Act' has generated public outrage and will probably strengthen the resolve of the growing food movement in the US to oppose the power of the food corporations.

This should also be a reminder to all of us across the world of the ability of some corporations like Monsanto to influence policymakers to adopt measures that are against sustainable agriculture, farmers, consumers and the environment. And let's add now to this list: independent judicial review! A very sad day for democracy and the future of our food.

Eric Darier is a senior campaigner on sustainable agriculture at Greenpeace International

Here is the link of the document
http://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20130318/BILLS-113hr933eas.pdf

...has absolutely nothing to do...

Here is the link of the document
http://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20130318/BILLS-113hr933eas.pdf

...has absolutely nothing to do qith it !!!
Not good to propagate hoax provided by rt.com.
Big noise about nothing is not good for credibility nor for all^these who are really looking to protect our nature.

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(Unregistered) Mikael K
says:

Greenpeace USA is working on the problem. I am thankful for that. I am hooeful that there is an ease from the problem and also truly interested on les...

Greenpeace USA is working on the problem. I am thankful for that. I am hooeful that there is an ease from the problem and also truly interested on less human birth. How can Greenpeace USA be of help - when a Church Christian can be a Father Figure to so many people, when the Condom itself has got a prayer made true? As I requested it via the Republic in Finland, I know that it became a truth mentioned at a later time. I am hoping and asking for that the Priests in the United States of America do have a normal dissaproving structure towards a Christian marriage for those who have got birth from an earlier marriage, they should by a normality not be allowed to marry people within the Church, even if the people are allowed to stay, if they truly went and married by the civil authorities instead. The message to people would be clear, do you realise it as a work for less birth? I am asking for a change and Greenpeace USA could help, as it needs to be heard before an abrupt change. I ask for the change and did ask before, as I haven´t heard an argumentation towards teh idea. I wrote and asked for interest for the idea - and this is what faith in nature gave me to find... paradoxally it is not what Jesus would have made mentioned as bad? That is (sorry) totally a different item - when the actual request is for a Father Figure to exist. Our brains don´t even have Jesus in these times, explaining it to us how many we are supposed to be... but Santa has got the long list. Bad presents, too many? Christmas itself requests the change. Daddy snow-white.

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Eric Darier Ph.D.
says:

Thank you for all your comments! You might be interested in watching this excellent broadcast on the 'Monsanto Protection Act': The Monsanto P...

Thank you for all your comments! You might be interested in watching this excellent broadcast on the 'Monsanto Protection Act': The Monsanto Protection Act? A Debate on Controversial New Measure Over Genetically Modified Crops. It is 45-minute long but very informative. http://www.democracynow.org/2013/4/2/the_monsanto_protection_act_a_debate

This blog is also available on the Greenpeace US website: http://greenpeaceblogs.org/2013/04/01/monsanto-protection-act-adopted-in-the-us/?__utma=1.1183165841.1362574020.1364908835.1364918469.84&__utmb=1.10.10.1364918469&__utmc=1&__utmx=-&__utmz=1.1364415058.65.8.utmcsr=google|utmccn=%28organic%29|utmcmd=organic|utmctr=%28not%20provided%29&__utmv=-&__utmk=23689018

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(Unregistered) Sun Wu
says:

I am interested in distribution of power in US-American Congress...

I am interested in what this means for Peace-Nobelpricewinner who you...

I am interested in distribution of power in US-American Congress...

I am interested in what this means for Peace-Nobelpricewinner who you are denouncing for years now...

I am intereste in what the Rainbow Warrior is doing in NZ and Australia and wonder if it is linked to environmental prolbems or rather to the fact the Greenpeace Australia is broke having just gotten a loan of 2 Million from Greenpeace International...

And last but not least: I am interested in what Michael K is trying to say...religion is an issue DOCTOR Naidoo brings up once a while...

Sometimes I do get this impression sooner or later human kind will not be interested to much in fashion, chinese fertilizer, Jame's Santa-Relocation project and his the nice time this guy is having with Josefina in the Arctic...

...but will be facing much more severe problems than the right to fly on vacation - like my friend and assistant Tuuts is already facing today in South Sudan.

Sun Wu, GODFATHER of the Rainbow Warrior

Ps: and I am interested in DOCTORS, and Greenpeace-employee's wardrobe! I do love fashion, and suits...

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(Unregistered) adam13
says:

Nature is a mighty force not to be reckoned with, which is exactly what people like Monsanto are doing so there will now be consequences for people...

Nature is a mighty force not to be reckoned with, which is exactly what people like Monsanto are doing so there will now be consequences for people's health and the environment because of the powerlessness US gov. against companies like Monsanto. Obama you can do better than that!!!

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(Unregistered) K
says:

One solution to Monsanto would be for Greenpeace to organize a worldwide campaign to facilitate a hostile takeover of Monsanto.

This wou...

One solution to Monsanto would be for Greenpeace to organize a worldwide campaign to facilitate a hostile takeover of Monsanto.

This would allow access to its internal documents concerning science, lobbying and marketing. Where appropriate, its upper management could be fired and patents could be rendered valueless. It could then be broken up into non toxic-companies.